Banda Aceh, 1 November 2019 – Global Fishing Watch (GFW) and Syiah Kuala University, Banda Aceh agreed to start collaborative research and development in the fisheries and marine sector in Indonesia. The Memorandum of Understanding which marked a two-year collaboration was signed by representatives of each party on October 22, 2019 at the Faculty of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (FKP), Syiah Kuala University, Darussalam, Banda Aceh.
This collaboration is part of the “GFW Goes to Campus” program in Indonesia. “We hope that through this program, GFW together with Indonesian researchers can develop science and technology in the field of fisheries and marine affairs in Indonesia. With this collaboration it is also hoped that researchers will be able to increase the capacity and quality of their research internationally while enriching research on Indonesian and global maritime affairs,” said Ahmad Baihaki, Program Manager for Indonesia, Global Fishing Watch.
Previously, GFW under the “GFW Goes to Campus” program had signed similar cooperation agreements with three other institutions in Indonesia.
From FKP, attending the signing were the FKP Dean Prof. Dr. Muchlisin, S.Pi, M.Sc, accompanied by the Deputy Deans, namely Dr. Muhammadar, M. Si (WD I), Drs. Muhammad, M. Si (WD II) and Dr. Zulkarnain, M. Si (WD III). Prof. Dr. Muchlisin, ZA. S.Pi., M.Sc. welcomes the cooperation between Unsyiah and Global Fishing Watch. He hopes this collaboration can develop science and innovation, especially research on fisheries and marine affairs in Unsyiah.
Illegal, unreported and illegal fishing (IUU fishing) is a major challenge for Indonesia as a maritime country with the second longest coastline in the world. Previous GFW collaboration with a team from the University of California, Santa Barbara found that limiting IUU fishing and limiting annual harvest to a maximum sustainable level could result in an increase in catches of 14 percent and a profit increase of up to 15 percent in 2035 compared to current levels, without short-term losses for the local economy.
Data sharing and transparency is very important in effectively combating all forms of illegal fishing, protecting fish stocks and the livelihoods of people who depend on seafood.
The proposed collaboration using GFW data in Indonesia includes the Unsyiah study collaboration on Indonesian fisheries and marine affairs; development of fishing vessel behavior models; analytical support, training, coordination of joint research publications by GFW to Unsyiah; collaboration of policy and governance studies; collaborative studies to identify and discuss monitoring, control and monitoring tools to strengthen transparency in Indonesia; and collaborative studies on IUU fishing activities, as well as analysis of social networks and other fisheries activities that are of common interest.
For more information:
Ahmad Baihaki, Indonesia Program Manager, Global Fishing Watch
Contact: [email protected]/, mobile: +62 818-166-665
Note to editors:
- GFW is an international non-profit organization that harness cutting edge technology to increase transparency in the fisheries and marine sector. GFW fishing vessel mapping platform allows the public to view or download data and investigate fishing activities anywhere in the world for free. This platform can be accessed via the link: https://globalfishingwatch.org/map/
- “GFW Goes to Campus” aims to find and connect researchers from various campuses and research institutions in Indonesia to transform GFW data into research and innovation. Indonesian researchers are also encouraged to collaborate with world-leading researchers who are members of the GFW research network. Furthermore, GFW will collaborate with several other universities to help research fisheries throughout Indonesia.
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